Lucasfilm and Disney will celebrate the iconic film’s first-ever release in IMAX for the 50th anniversary, followed by Star Wars: Starfighter in IMAX 70mm in May!
It’s official: Star Wars is taking over IMAX 70mm in 2027!
That’s right, the film that started it all, Star Wars (1977), is heading to IMAX for the first time ever — in both digital and film formats — as part of its highly anticipated 50th-anniversary theatrical re-release on February 19, 2027. And yes, you heard that correctly. This isn’t some spice-fuelled dream! A New Hope is back and bigger and better than ever!
The newly restored version of George Lucas’ legendary original will blast back onto the big screen at select IMAX 70mm film locations, alongside select cinemas, for a limited time. For fans who grew up with a galaxy far, far away, this is about as close to a pilgrimage as it gets. There’s simply no better way to celebrate 50 years of Star Wars than by experiencing the movie that changed cinema history exactly where it belongs: on the biggest screen possible!
So, dust off those lightsabers, polish your Stormtrooper helmets, and prepare to make the jump to hyperspace. The original Star Wars is coming back — and this time, it’s going IMAX!
STARFIGHTER
But the big IMAX news doesn’t end there. On May 28, 2027, which happens to be the 50th anniversary weekend of the original film’s premiere — Lucasfilm will release Star Wars: Starfighter in IMAX. Shawn Levy’s debut movie in the galaxy far, far away, starring Ryan Gosling, will also get the IMAX treatment, with the film shot on IMAX-certified film cameras and converted to IMAX 70mm film prints for release in a select number of IMAX film locations.
An all-new standalone adventure from Director and Producer Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine, Stranger Things) starring Ryan Gosling (Drive, Blade Runner, La La Land, The Place Beyond the Pines, Barbie) as Kade Auberon, in Star Wars: Starfighter, when a cynical rogue is confronted by his mysterious past, he is hurled into a dangerous adventure across the galaxy that puts him on a crash course with destiny.
The film also stars Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, Flynn Gray, and Amy Adams. The film is written by Jonathan Tropper, produced by Shawn Levy and Kathleen Kennedy, with Ryan Gosling, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Dave Filoni and Dan Levine serving as executive producers.
RELEASE
This is fantastic news. After The Mandalorian and Grogu propelled the saga back onto the big screen, the sheer scale of IMAX feels like the perfect way to experience adventures from a galaxy far, far away. So, the prospect of Star Wars: Starfighter making its debut in IMAX is already tantalizing. But when you raise the stakes by bringing Star Wars: A New Hope back to cinemas in glorious 70mm IMAX, the celebrations have officially gone from amazing to a full-blown dream scenario.
The thought of witnessing the greatest film ever committed to celluloid towering across an IMAX screen is quite simply the stuff of dreams. This is the movie that changed cinema forever, and now a new generation of fans will have the opportunity to experience it on a truly monumental scale. If you’ve only ever watched Star Wars on a television or a standard cinema screen, then you haven’t truly seen it. Because some movies deserve to be experienced, not merely watched — and A New Hope belongs at the very top of that list.
A LANDMARK EVENT
But let’s just take a moment to appreciate what we’re actually getting here. STAR WARS. ON IMAX. IN 70MM. The movie that introduced us to Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, the Millennium Falcon, and the greatest galaxy ever created is coming back — and it’s going to be absolutely massive.
We’ve spent decades dreaming of seeing the original Star Wars on the biggest screen imaginable. Now, that dream is becoming a reality. So, polish those lightsabers, dust off the Stormtrooper armor, grab your tickets, and prepare to have your mind blown.
The Force will be with you… always!
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
